The 25 Most Amazing Waterfalls In The World

Why do we love waterfalls? Because they get to run around outside and jump off cliffs and be noisy and nobody ever tells them to stop doing it. They get wet but nobody cares. Nobody ever says to them, “Go put some clothes on or you’ll catch a cold.” Waterfalls are living the life of Riley. And we’re awed by them because they’ve managed to get away with it. It’s what we’ve been trying to do for years. So in the spirit of living like Riley, here are the 25 most amazing waterfalls in the world.

Khone Falls, Laos

Located on the border between Laos and Cambodia, 2.5 million gallons of water spew from the Mekong River every second. At 35,376 feet wide, the Chutes de Khone – also known as Khone Falls – can be described as the largest waterfall in the world. They are the main reason why you can’t get into China from the Mekong River. Just ask the French, who tried on at least three separate occasions to get through. In the end, they built a railway instead. They should have just got one of their baguettes and floated across on that. [Details]

Jog Falls, India

With an 830 foot drop these are among the highest falls in India. They are most impressive during the rainy season. Outside of rainy season, they’re like a parched man pissing in the desert. [Details]

Shifen Waterfall, Taiwan

A quick lesson in waterfalls. When the water flows in one direction and the rocks slope in the opposite direction, you get what is known as a cascade waterfall. Located on the Keelung River in Taiwan, the Shifen Falls is a cascade waterfall. So there you go. Now we can all go back to sleep. [Details]

Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe

It depends how you measure, but by some standards this is the largest waterfall in the world because it’s the largest singular waterfall. But it’s not the tallest nor the widest, nor the one spilling the most water. But it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. David Livingstone “discovered” Victoria Falls in 1855 and named them after Queen Victoria because he fancied her, which is an even more incredible thing than a white guy trekking through Africa in the 1800s without a map. It was lucky for the locals that he happened to pass through, otherwise they might never have known the falls were there, even though they were living right on top of them. You’d think someone might have wondered what all the noise was. Hey, did somebody leave the tap running? [Details]

Langfossen, Norway

We love the falls at Langfossen because you can practically park your car right under them. Do you hear that? Is it raining? [Details]

Big Waterfall, Croatia

Croatia’s crack marketing team pulled out all the stops to name this one. It’s why they’re making the big bucks. In Croatian it’s called Veliki slap, which sounds like something you might catch if you’re not careful. With water spurting everywhere, it looks as though the place has sprung a leak. Quick, somebody call a plumber. Because of the mineral run-off from the Dinerac Alps, the water here is often turquoise in color, which is all groovy like the sixties. [Details]

Gocta Falls, Peru

According to some, Gocta is the 5th highest waterfall in the world. According to others, it’s only the 16th. But what’s most amazing is that they were only discovered by westerners in 2005. Sure, the locals knew of them, but they didn’t know list articles were so important to the Internet so they never said anything. So yeah, you could say these are in a pretty remote place. [Details]

Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland

Luckily for Meiringen, Reichenbach Falls was the location of the final encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty. So now they’ve got some tourist cash to spend. There’s a statue of Holmes at the English Church, and a plaque at the ledge where the fight between the two took place. Fans are also known to visit Meiringen dressed as characters to reenact the events of the story. Oh, there’s also a waterfall here. [Details]

Detian Falls, Vietnam/China

They sit right on the border between Vietnam and China on the Guichun River. Sure, the falls are great and all that but nearby there’s a place called Tongling Gorge where bandits used to hide out. Not only that but sometimes treasure is still found in the caves. Right, start packing. [Details]

Mardalsfossen, Norway

The water at Mardalsfossen is used for hydroelectric power and only goes over the falls during the summer. So if you want to see the waterfall at anything close to impressive, be there June 20 to August 20, and between 9am and 9pm. In total the water drops 2,154 feet over granite rockface, who is one of the lesser known Batman villains. [Details]

St. Clair’s Falls, Sri Lanka

St. Clair’s Falls is the widest waterfall in Sri Lanka and is known as “Little Niagara.” The emphasis here is on little as Niagara is more than ten times the size. Yeah, Go Niagara!. St. Clair’s is made up of two tiers, Maha Ella, and Kuda Ella, which translate from Sinalese to the “Greater” and the “Lesser” fall. [Details]

Baatara Gorge Waterfall, Lebanon

While it looks like a giant French toilet, it is actually known as the cave of three bridges. Probably because the water falls through a cave with three bridges. The waterfall was only discovered in 1952. [Details]

Niagara Falls, Canada/US

If you’re looking for nutters, you’ll find them here in Niagara. Quite often in a barrel. Going over Niagara Falls in a barrel is easy. Surviving is the tricky bit. The first person believed to have done it successfully is Annie Edson Tyler in 1901. She was 63 at the time. In 1995 Lori Martin and Steve Trotter went over together. Niagara is built for adrenaline junkies, or depending how you look at it, morons. In 2012 Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk directly over the falls on a tightrope. He had to bring his passport with him. Would they have sent him back if he’d forgotten it? [Details]

Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

About four times the height of Niagara and roughly twice the height of Victoria Falls. Located in the rainforest on the Potaro River, Kaieteur is a powerful combination of height and water volume, breaking into a series of sharp cascades at different points. The Potaro flows into the Essequibo River, which is one of the biggest rivers in South America. [Details]

Inga Falls, Congo

Inga Falls is the laziest waterfall ever. It’s a 3,000-foot wide series of falls and rapids on the Congo River that takes about nine miles to drop 315 feet. Nine miles! We could do it quicker than that with our eyes shut. Though at one point it goes all crazy and plummets seventy feet in one go. It’s made up of hundreds of channels, split up by large rocks and small islands. [Details]

Yosemite Falls, California

With a combined total of 2,425 feet of falling water (about 300 feet lower than the Burj Khalifa), this the tallest waterfall in the US. To see it at its fearsome best, go in the Spring. In the summer tourist season, it’s nowhere near peak performance. [Details]

Rhine Falls, Switzerland

The Rhine Falls is among the largest, possibly the largest, plain waterfall in Europe. It all depends who you’re talking to. One good way to see it is to take a boat ride to the cliff in the center of the falls. Another is to go at night when it’s lit up by spotlights. [Details]

Erawan Falls, Thailand

In Hindu mythology the Erawan is a three-headed white elephant. The seven-tiered falls are said to resemble it, which totally doesn’t make sense because that’s seven, and the elephant is three. So maybe if you count the feet as well… The falls are the main attraction in Erawan National Park, which has only been around since 1975. [Details]

Tugela Falls, South Africa

The Angel Falls are nearly always cited as the tallest in the world, but it depends how you measure. Some consider Tugela to be taller. The only way to be sure is to measure it yourself. So get your rulers out and off you go. [Details]

Gaping Gill, England

Gaping Gill is the second largest natural cave in Britain, located on the slopes of Ingleborough mountain in Yorkshire. The stream Fell Beck runs into it, and creates what is the tallest unbroken waterfall in England. Around national holidays in May and August, two Pothole Clubs set up a winch above the shaft to provide rides down to the bottom of the cave. For a small fee, they’ll also bring you back up again. [Details]

Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia

Oddly enough, you’ll find these on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopa. In the Amharic language, they are known as Tis Abay, which means “smoking water”. Just downstream a bit sits the first stone bridge to have been built in Ethiopa, in 1626. [Details]

Russell Falls, Tasmania

The Russell Falls is a tiered, cascade waterfall comprised of an upper curtain, a lower curtain, and a bathroom curtain. They are the big ticket in Mt Field National Park, Tasmania’s first national park. In 1899 they were featured on Australia’s first postage stamp. [Details]

Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

On the Iguazu River separating Argentina and Brazil, the Iguazu Falls are made up of 275 individual waterfalls and cascades that cover an area of about two miles wide. Most of the falls are on the Argentinian side, but the best views are from Brazil. [Details]

Angel Falls, Venezuela

More than half a mile of uninterrupted falling water makes Angel Falls taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Angel Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Exactly what is one of those? Hold on, we’ll go check. Oh, it means that the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization has listed it as being of special cultural or physical significance. Cool. Between April and December clouds can get in the way lower down, so for the coolest shots people charter a plane and fly right over it. [Details]

Havasu Falls, Arizona

Located in the western part of the Grand Canyon, Havasu Falls stand on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Havasupai means people of the blue-green waters, and the naturally occurring magnesium colors the waters of Havasu blue. The deeper the pools, the bluer the water. Water temperatures in the naturally forming pools stay at a steady 70 degrees all year round, so it’s good for bathing, and there’s also a beach. [Details]